Wednesday 15 October 2014

Wednesday.



                                         MYSTERY OBJECT.
                                         _________________

Been working on the above object most of today. It is hanging on a modern bracket, and is not the complete object. It is what we antiquarian horologists refer to in our pedantic way as 'the innards'. If I complete the job tomorrow, I'll put up a picture of the complete object. In the meantime you should be able to work out what it is, roughly when and where it was made, and some of its specialities.

Being called up to supper.  Goodnight.

11 comments:

Crowbard said...

Could this perhaps be a clock (from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell") with three going/gearing trains?
The hour bell on the left of your picture and, unusually, three stacked quarter bells on the right. Is it not more usual to have one quarter bell which is struck once, twice or thrice to indicate which quarter has arrived, rather than have three bells with three hammers all beavering away separately?
Since the gears are housed in wooden planks, rather than metal plates, I suspect this may well be a Black Forest clock. Andreas Etchel/Echle of Schönwald (1801-1850) is known to have made a few similar clocks with all four bells in one stack.
Now I suppose you'll tell me not to be ridiculous as it's really a three slice mechanical toasting-jack with alarmed timer! You always get me in the end.

Tim said...

For summoning a servant to one of six rooms in a grand house? The bells could ring in different combinations depending on the room. As for when it was made, I'll leave that to you experts. Early 19th century?

Paul said...

Is it a cuckoo clock ?

Rog said...

It could be my first Vodafone mobile from 1986 which fitted snugly in the armrest of my Ford Sierra?
Couldn't even play Scrabble on it

Unknown said...

Hello Crowbard. You've got it absolutely right! It is a three train (going train, hour strike and quarter strike) Black Forest clock. The three stacked quarter bells (doing a sort of 'ding dang dong' per quarter) are a very unusual arrangement. The maker's mark -very neatly stamped into the wood is I.D. When I've put it back together with its dial, one other piece of information should be apparent. So Far - very well done.

Unknown said...

Tim - full marks for vivid imagination. Nice to hear from you.

Unknown said...

Paul Cully - no, but its from the same area as most cuckoo clocks - the Black Forest; and the same stable.

Unknown said...

Rog. You rival Tim for vivid imagination and (sorry) for sheer soppiness of ideas. Still, I think you've probably had more practice.
I always look forward to your comments though.

Unknown said...

P.s. Crowbard. If you enlarge the photo then look at the centre of the bottom plate of the clock, you should be able to see the maker's initials stamped into the edge of the wooden baseplate.

Unknown said...

P.s. Rog - I liked the look of that electric gramophone you showed the other day. For 78s, 45s and 33s, I suppose ?

Unknown said...

Please have a look at the entry for Thursday, 16th October.